Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII-2 or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

Ch.10 Hope

(Point of View Change: Stranger)

I stood on a high ledge high above the Paddra Ruins, watching various humans mill about below. I knew that Deiru once fought an Undying Cie'th by the name of Bituitus here, and that girl, Vanille, had fought alongside him against it. But now Vanille was gone, one of the three women trapped within the crystal pillar that held up Cocoon. At the thought I smiled; they had only postponed the End of Days. Now they were unable to help, and once I destroyed Serah, Noel and Deiru no one would be able to stand in my way. History itself would be destroyed, and the order of reality along with it. All I had to was summon a beast to destroy them. So, with that, I rose my sword into the air and willed my powers to come forth. As usual controlling my powers was like trying to hold a swirling maelstrom, a writhing fish and a snapping wolf all together in one place; no easy task.

But my will was iron, and I succeeded. Reaching into the Void Beyond with my mind, I found just the monster I was looking for and called out to it. "Come forth, giant of otherworldly might. Soon to come are three humans who stood in the company of your greatest foe, Gogmagog," I chanted. The beast reacted with surprise and rage, and I smiled. "Yes, they stood in the same place as your hated rival. Now they move towards this place, where you may be free to unleash your wrath upon them! Will you not serve my will and carry out the task of destroying them?" I asked. The beast roared and agreed; anything to allow it escape from the Void Beyond and attack these humans that had been with Gogmagog. "Very well then. Now, come forth... Aloeidai," I commanded, and pointed my sword at the ground below.

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(Point of View Change: Deiru)

I grunted, frustrated that our progress through the ruins had come to an abrupt halt. We were about to enter the main section of the ruins when we were stopped by a guard. Apparently, since we weren't Academy officials we couldn't her the part that was being investigated. "Are we not allowed inside?" Serah asked. "I'm very sorry. Only persons on official Academy business are permitted beyond this point," the female guard said. "Oh," Serah replied, and I grunted angrily. Then suddenly a giant monster appeared farther in. It was identical to Gogmagog, only this one was black with blue eyes and purple veins. "Look out!" I called, and she turned around. "S-Security!" she said, and Noel ran forward. "Maybe this will count as official business!" he said, and drew his sword.

Serah and I ran past the guard and drew our weapons as well, while Aloeidai roared. "Yeah, yeah. Come and get us!" I called, casting Fira and Blizzara before sending both spells his way. The beast cast Causality Barrier and shielded itself, and my two spells exploded against the edges of the shield. "It's like before! We have to break its barrier!" Serah said. Noel and I nodded and switched to casting magic, while Aloeidai cast Deprotectga. We were all hit with the spell and our defenses lowered, but I shrugged it off and fired a trio of Fire spells. Noel jumped up and threw his larger sword, which was filled with electricity. It sailed through the air until it hit the barrier, and let out countless amps of power.

The barrier shattered from the current and Aloedai used Swipe again, hitting us all in one blow. Serah brought out her crystal and summoned Cait Sith to heal us while we ran forward, and I jumped up. Grasping Indomitus with both hands I swung down and hit the beast in the shoulder, going halfway through when my sword stopped. I pulled it back out and tar-like blood ran along the edge of the blade, which I cleaned off with a water spell. Serah fired an arrow and it planted itself in the giant's arm before fading, and the beast cast Ruinga in retaliation. The spell exploded in the air above us and sent out a wave of energy that knocked us into the air, but I flipped over and landed on my feet with enough time to cast a Ruinga spell of my own before it restored its barrier.

"Can't even fight us without a shield, huh you coward?" I taunted, running forward and casting Firaga. A ball of flame shot forward and exploded hard enough to heat up the ground around us, while also driving up the chain gauge. Serah fired an arrow and it created a crack in the shield, which Noel was quick to force a Water spell through. Aloeidai cast Deshellga and made us all weaker to magic, which he followed up with Ruinga. "Come on!" Noel called, and threw his sword again. This time however it anticipated the trick and used Swipe, knocking his larger sword away until it landed on the ground. While Noel ran after it Serah cast Fire and Ruin, trying to keep the stagger gauge both increasing and maintained.

"Let me help you with that," I said, and ran forward. I jumped up and spun my sword in my hand before slamming down, but my shield just struck sparks off the barrier. "Or maybe not," I amended, landing back down and dodging another Swipe. "How can we not have staggered him yet?" Noel asked, picking up his fallen sword. Just as he said that though Serah cast another Fire spell, and the giant's body began glowing golden as it's barrier vanished. "Alright, here we go!" I said, pointing my sword at Aloeidai and firing a barrage of Ruins. Serah pulled her bow back and waited for a few seconds, gathering strength until the entire arrow pulsed with energy. Then she fired it, and the arrow went clean through its arm without even leaving a scratch behind.

That didn't stop Aloeidai from roaring in pain, and just as Cait Sith and I were healing everyone of their status ailments it used Landshatter. It slammed its hand against the ground and pillars of earth erupted from it, nearing impaling me with one while I tried to avoid another. Noel and Serah weren't as I lucky though, and they both shouted they were slashed with countless rocks and other various items. Aloeidai didn't relent either, and began attacking as soon as it's barrier was back up. I grunted in pain as I was hit with another swipe, and called "This thing is really to piss me off!" "No kidding!" Serah added. "Then why don't we do something about it?" Noel, asked, smiling. Not sure what he had in mind but placing our trust in him, Serah and I nodded.

He ran forward and placed his smaller sword back in its sheath, before casting Fire after Fire until the metal flames of his larger sword glowed as if they were real. "Serah! Cast as cold a Blizzard spell as you! Deiru, you do the same with Thunder!" he said. I nodded and drew forth as much of my strength and focus as I could, gathering it all into one single spell and calling "Thundaga!" A bolt of lightning large and powerful enough to be life-size fired from my hand, while Serah cast a chunk of ice the size of a couch. The two spells both hit Noel's sword and the same time and the sword absorbed them, causing it to flash red, blue and yellow from all three elements of magic stored in it.

Now that it was done, Noel ran forward and turned his sword into its javelin form. "It's over!" he called, and threw it straight at the beast. It met resistance with the barrier, but all three of our attacks in one made it punch through, and the javelin pierced Aloeidai in the chest before unleashing all of its contained energy. The beast howled in agony as it was electrocuted, before its skin was burnt even further black and ending with its blood being almost frozen solid. Seeing that it was about to die, Aloeidai waved its arm and the whole in space around it suddenly grew, accompanied by a gale-force wind that drew all around it closer. Including us. "It's pulling us in!" Noel called, and I stabbed my sword into the ground to brace myself.

Noel turned his javelin back into a sword and did the same, but before Serah could do the same she was lifted into the air. I caught her just in time and she held on, but the force of Aloeidai's last move was too strong. I could feel her grip and mine slipping... slipping... slipping... Then, just as she was pulled away a boomerang flew out nowhere and hit the beast in the side, creating a burst of electricity. It flew back around and did it again twice, and the force of the spell vanished as Aloeidai faded out of existence. Serah landed back on the ground and I helped her to her feet, while the owner of the boomerang caught it and put it away. "When monsters like this are defeated, they cause a space-time vortex to appear. An electromagnetic shock usually shuts them down." He smiled. "It's been a long time, Serah, Deiru."

My eye widened, and Serah took the words out of my mouth by saying "Hope? Is that you?" It was Hope indeed, only ten years older. He still retained the blue-green eyes and slim build that had before only now Hope was tall, maybe even as tall as me, and his silver hair was ever so slightly longer. He wore a long-sleeve white coat shirt with yellow sleeves and a light blue necktie. He also had on light gray pants, black boots, and supply pouches along his waist and his left shoulder. Hope smiled. "I'm glad you remember me," he said. "I just have have one thing to say: You've gotten taller," I said. He chuckled. "I have, thankfully," he said, and his voice was a smidgeon deeper as well.

"Who's this?" Noel asked, and I looked at him, surprised. Hope stepped forward and shook his hand. "Director of Academy Research, Team Alpha. Hope Estheim, at your service. And you, you must be Noel," he said formally. "Nice guess. Who told you?" Noel asked. "You appeared with Serah and Deiru some years ago at the Bresha Ruins. Subsequently, we analyzed the gate and forecast your appearance at this location. To be honest, I didn't really believe that time travel was possible. But here you are," he said. He grasped Serah's hand. "I'm really glad you're safe," he told us. "How is it that you've gotten so older?" Serah asked. He looked at her confusedly. "It's 10 AF, so I've aged ten years since I was a l'Cie," he pointed out.

Getting the point, I said "That means that it's been years since you last saw Serah and I." "Not just the two of you. Snow as well. And Sazh and his boy. You all disappeared from my life," he said. "Oh. I never thought..." Serah began. "When the paradox occurred, I thought that if I solved it, maybe you would all come back," Hope told us. We didn't know what to say, but we were spared that by Alyssa, who suddenly ran up gasping. "Director Hope! There you are! What were you thinking? Take off and leaving me all on my own," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "Okay, and I guess Alyssa's here too. Why?" I asked. She giggled. "After you all appeared in ruins and helped solve the paradox, I made that big discovery I was hoping for!" she said. "Now Alyssa is my personal assistant," Hope said.

We began walking, and Serah told Hope everything that had happened to us up until then. About how only Serah remembered me and Lightning being there after Cocoon almost fell, how Snow set out to try and find a way to save Lightning, Vanille, Fang and Sofia. And she told him about Noel, and about how I came from Valhalla and he came from the future. "Tell me Hope, what made you join the Academy?" she finally asked. "A sense of duty. Vanille, Fang, Sofia, Lightning... They turned to crystal so that we might live. It was an enormous sacrifice," he told us. "My sister and the others... I think they wanted to preserve life. They gave us a chance to live again," Serah said. "That's what they had in mind- giving us a chance," I said. "They put the future in our hands. We're in a position to build a society based on human technology, no longer subject to the whim of the fal'Cie. That's the gift we've been given," Hope said.

"What about the Academy? How are things going?" Serah asked. "I'd say the institution had grown considerably since we last met," Alyssa informed us. "Our dream of creating a society independent of the fal'Cie is slowly but surely becoming a reality. We're seeing all previous opposition fade away, and people are coming together under the leadership of the Academy," Hope said. "That's great. It's good to hear that the future is in safe hands," I said. We reached a guard holding gun across his chest and wearing stern expression but it softened when he saw Hope with us. "Guests of yours, Director? Watch your step in there," he advised us, and stepped aside. "Thank you," Hope replied, walking through. "I have a question: isn't the Academy a research institute? And if it is, they why all the armed security?" I asked.

"Without the fal'Cie around, we have to be able to protect ourselves. And that means guns," Alyssa said. "The time distortions spawn hostile creatures. Until we can resolve the paradox, we need military force to repel threats. These armed patrols are essential to our safety," Hope explained. We stopped, and Hope said "It's hard to believe it's really been ten years. So much time has passed." "Hey, do you still think that Lightning is inside the crystal pillar?" I asked. "I always had doubts. And I wasn't the only one. Sazh had them as well," he replied. "Really? Sazh too?" Serah asked. "Yes. He couldn't believe that Lightning would 'up and leave Serah like that'. After all, she was the one who said that we shouldn't face things alone, that we should stick together," Hope said.

"Whatever happened to Sazh? And his son, Dajh?" I asked. "We've been out of touch. Sazh took Dajh to live on gran Pulse, and was flying airships the last I heard. Then suddenly, they both disappeared. I... I searched everywhere but never found them," he admitted, sounding ashamed. "Look at us- all gone our separate ways," Serah pointed out. "Yes, and I can't tell you how much it means to have you here now. Lightning, Sazh and Snow may have set out on different paths, but I've started to think that in the end, we're all headed towards the same goal," Hope said. We were all silent for a moment, as Serah couldn't think of anymore questions. Then I said "These ruins, they're some kind of ancient city, right?"

"The city of Paddra. Or so we believe. It was the center of a great kingdom built by a nation known as the 'Farseers'," Hope explained. "The Farseers?!" Noel asked, looking at him with his eyes wide. "You're telling me there use to be enough of them to build this entire town?" Slightly surprised, Hope answered "According to our research, we believe they constructed an entire nation. A polity ruled a seeress." Noel stared out in the remains of the city. "Can you see me now? Standing here in this place..." he said quietly. Serah and I looked at him, but when he didn't seem to snap out of it Serah asked Hope "So, this nation... Paddra? Their leader was a seeress, right?" "Yes. The seeress would read the fates, see the future, and guide her country," he replied. I heard Noel mutter "Yeul..." and looked at him. He was still in a trance, but I wondered whether he had heard us or not.

Far above, on a ledge that could only be seen by the people below if they looked precisely for it, Caius turned away from the spectacle and glared at the silver-haired man. "That makes three. Three times that you've either a monster or created a paradox that was supposed to destroy them, and they failed. I'm beginning to doubt as to whether you are as strong as you say," he said. The man shrugged. "I said that the monster was guaranteed to destroy them if they didn't receive outside help. And that was precisely what happened," he reminded Caius. The girl who stayed with them walked forward. "Your tongue is as silver as you hair," she remarked.

The man laughed. "Wisely said," he replied. "You realize that for every challenge they overcome the three of them grow stronger?" Caius asked. The man's smile faded, and he glared at Caius. "I'm well aware of that, Ballad. If it bothers you that much, they will soon travel through history again. And when they do reach their next destination, we can deal with them ourselves," the man said. Although that did not satisfy him, it did leave Caius content enough to grunt and walk away, the girl following him. The man watched them go and sighed. "Must I deal with these humans for much longer?" he asked aloud, looking at the sky. As usual the gods gave him no answer, but that was alright. He would not have to stay with them forever, only until Deiru, Noel and Serah were killed or removed from history. Then the Day of Wrath would come.

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Yay! Hope's back, and the monster summoned by the stranger has been defeated. But why else would Hope be here in the ruins, and what did the man mean when he said they could deal with them themselves?

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)